The Science of Gross

January 1998

Thunderbolts #10

Since last week we had “GROSS!” Madballs, I thought this would be an appropriate followup: Grossology. This is software (based on a book) that tries to teach kids about biology by presenting it as something gross – and therefore fun. So if you want to learn about snot, pee, pimples, scabs, or other sorts of bodily substances and/or functions, this is the place!

Just in doing a quick search on this, I found out that there’s an official website for Grossology that’s still active… and while it says that it was last updated in 2010, it looks more like it was last updated closer 2001! This is a seriously vintage website, and great for a walk down memory lane to the good (?) ol’ days of dialup. It’s also great for showing to the kids/grandkids so you can tell them, “Back in my day, this was what our internet looked like! It took five minutes to load, and we were grateful for it!” (and feel free to add “you young whippersnappers!” for extra effect).

 

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CBA IRL – Lethal Enforcers II

I’ve got a bunch of CBA IRL things I’ve been meaning to post, so I’m going to try to get caught up with some of these.

Here we’ve got my copy of Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters for Sega CD, along with the Justifier… and the pink Justifier! You see, on the Lethal Enforcers games, if you wanted two players, you couldn’t just plug in two of the regular Justifiers (the blue ones), you needed one blue Justifier (which plugged into the game system) and one pink Justifier (which plugged into the blue Justifier). Because of this odd setup, the pink ones are kind of hard to find.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the pink Justifier back in the day – I actually received it as a Christmas gift about ten years ago. I’m still pretty happy to have it, though!

 

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Defeat Thanos With Your Game Controller!

January 1998

Thunderbolts #10

I guess back in the day I was still too busy with my Mortal Kombat 3 to realize that this game was around, because I certainly don’t remember it! Apparently this was a predecessor to all the Marvel vs Capcom games.

Something that’s pretty cool (and pretty timely) about this game is that it loosely follows the Infinity Gauntlet story line – all the characters are fighting to get the Infinity Stones, and eventually defeat Thanos. One thing that sounds pretty cool about this game is that once characters obtain an Infinity Stone, they also get a special move/power related to that stone.

So I guess this means there’s no need to wait for the next Avengers movie – just play this game to see how it all turns out!

 

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Mooortaaaaal Kooombaaaat! (II)

February 1995

X-Force #43

I don’t know about you, but Mortal Kombat was one of my absolute favorite series of games back in the day! I had (and actually still have, but just haven’t played in years) MKII for Game Gear, and while it was awesome, I don’t think I ever got particularly good at it. I’ll just blame that on the format – when you take a fighting game as rich and complex as this and have to scale it down for a portable system that only has two action buttons, it’s definitely going to lose a bit.

Mortal Kombat 3 (actually Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3) was the one I really got into. I had that one for Genesis, so that was as fully functional as it gets! However, when I first glanced at this ad, I thought it actually was from MK3 – I don’t remember MKII having Friendships or Shao Kahn at all! I guess I was just never good enough at it to get to see those…

 

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Lethal Injection (Of Bullets)

February 1995

X-Force #43

Lethal Enforcers was one of my favorite games back when it came out, but it drove me nuts that it was so difficult! You (or at least I) would have to play the same level over and over again before getting a score high enough to advance! Then a couple years later Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters came out, and it was so much better! You didn’t need as high accuracy, the levels were way easier to get through, plus you got to use a Gatling gun! While I don’t have any particular interest in the Old West, this game quickly became a favorite of mine.

I guess I never did that well, though, because this ad mentions “an evil shaman and his band of creepy, skeletal ghouls” – I certainly don’t remember ever seeing that! That sounds awesome! Now I think I need to go back and play it so I can try to get to that level…

To see my CBA IRL post for Lethal Enforcers II, click here!

 

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Watch Out for Snakes… or Alligators!

February 1995

X-Force #43

It’s amazing how much a video game can evolve in 12 years – the original Pitfall was released in 1982 on the Atari 2600. At the time, it was considered a huge breakthrough in terms of graphics and gameplay. This newer, updated version of Pitfall was released in 1994 – and these graphics are quite a bit more advanced than the original! However, many thought the gameplay was a bit lacking (or lagging) on this one.

But there is a fun marriage of the classic with the new on this one: If you find a secret doorway, it takes you to the original game – pretty cool, huh?

 

Genesis’ Big Brother – Video Gaming Milestone!

March 1988

Visionaries #3

I’m finally able to use my scanner again – yay!!! Oh, ’80s, how I’ve missed you! So to celebrate, here’s my favorite ad from my newly scanned comic – the Sega Master System! I wasn’t really aware of this system during its heyday, but am more familiar with it now, and it’s actually a pretty cool system! Back when the NES ruled home gaming, the Master System actually had more powerful hardware, but NES had Mario, so eventually the NES’ game library is what allowed the NES to triumph over the Master System… in America, anyway. It turns out that in Europe, it actually surpassed the NES by quite a bit! And in Brazil, it’s the best-selling game system of all time, with compatible systems still being produced!

One thing that I think is pretty cool about the Sega Master System is that games came in two formats: Mega Cartridges and Sega Cards. The cartridges are pretty standard, but the cards were the size of a credit card – they couldn’t hold nearly as much data as cartridges, but they were substantially cheaper, so you could build your game collection without breaking the bank!

However, the part about this system that I think is the most impressive is the 3D glasses (SegaScope – sold separately, of course). Considering that it was released in the mid-’80s, the 3D is pretty amazing! I know that the Vectrex also had 3D around this time, but other than that, the next one I can think of is the 3DS – a full 25 years later!

EDIT: While originally writing this, somehow the Virtual Boy completely slipped my mind (Sorry, Virtual Boy, it doesn’t mean I don’t love you!) – so that would make it more like 10 years until the next 3D gaming system. Were there any between the Master System and Virtual Boy that I’m forgetting about? If so, let me know in the comments!

It’s Chaos! It’s Insanity! It’s…

January 1997 (1996)

Deadpool #1

This is it – the final ad I’ve got to post from Deadpool #1, making this the first book that I’ve closed out! So what have we got here? Bedlam, a video game about preventing the imminent destruction of mankind.

This ad doesn’t tell you a whole lot about the game, but at least it’s more descriptive than WCW!

Is That a Rocket in Your Jockey, Or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

January 1997 (1996)

Deadpool #1

At first glance, Rocket Jockey looks a bit like pod racing from “Star Wars: Episode I” (but actually came out first!), but upon closer inspection, actually sounds pretty badass:

“…I will not hold Rocket Jockey liable for my being decapitated by another jockey’s cable, crushed against the hood of another rocket, burnt beyond recognition by jet exhaust, or other injuries to myself or others et al.”

Nice! I only wish there had been action like that in “Episode I”!

 

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QuickShot – Taking Aim at Your Cash!

December 1989

Wonder Woman #37

Video games were hot in 1989, so people tried to cash in by making better, faster, more powerful controllers. From what I’m told, QuickShot’s performance doesn’t even remotely fit this description or live up to the amount of excitement that they promise.

I’m no video game expert (unlike some people I know), but I’ve never even heard of the MSX or Amstrad systems – anyone out there remember those?